The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

First Scottish gay marriage held in Vic

The first gay couple married under Scotland's new laws have tied the knot a long, long way from the Highlands.

Douglas Pretsell and his Australian husband Peter Gloster were married at the UK consulate in Melbourne at 11.01am on Tuesday.

They converted their civil partnership into a marriage at the exact moment Scotland's marriage equality law came into effect.

"It's wonderful to finally have our marriage confirmed, especially since the Scottish legislation is the most progressive in the world with the full inclusion of transgender and intersex partners," Mr Pretsell said.

The couple wedding has already appeared in news stories in The Scotsman and on BBC News Scotland.

Mr Pretsell said it was sad that as soon as the couple stepped out of the consulate they ceased to be married in the country they call home.

"Today, I feel immensely proud to be a Scot, and I look forward to feeling just as proud of being Australian," he said.